Ten Rules for Buying Apple Products

iLounge has an article up called “Ten Rules for Buying Apple Products”, where it talks about the right time to buy Apple products. As their laptops shift from one technology to another, it can feel hard to keep up, but there are things you need to know.

Expect Constant Improvements. Apple is one of the world’s most innovative computer and consumer electronics companies, and tries to keep its products at or ahead of each industry’s trends. In the computer industry, this most often means frequently updating internal components, while in the consumer electronics (read: iPod) industry, this more frequently requires both external and internal changes.

Big Changes (Typically) Come in Six-Plus Month Cycles. When it comes to computers and consumer electronics, the reality is that there will always be something newer and better coming out, available 6 or 12 months after you make your purchase, no matter what major brand you buy. Apple in particular has never apologized for continuing to update its products, even when its pacing was lampooned by Saturday Night Live: new iPods announced at the start of the parody were discontinued only minutes later. As seen in the September 2005 introduction of the iPod nano at a separate event from the October 2005 fifth-generation iPod, it is entirely possible that a totally new model will emerge only shortly after another one, though it’s highly unlikely that this will happen with a direct replacement - the 5G iPod replaced the 4G iPod, while the iPod nano replaced the iPod mini. For better or worse, Apple typically introduces a product and keeps it around for a while at a similar price.

So my advice to anyone looking at getting a laptop from Apple is the same as my advice to someone looking for advice on buying any laptop: buy what you need now, and think about what you will need six months from now. Honestly, if you wait for the next big thing from any company, you will find yourself always waiting, always annoyed at the price drops and the changes in technology. Just get what you need, and what you think you will need over the next while, and enjoy it.

Check out Apple Laptops on Digital Advisor.

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